Editorial: Let's move the Farmers Market to central downtown

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTOThe Muskegon Farmers Market was mobbed in 2008 at a high point of the local growng season. Many want to move that success to a more central downtown location.

It's time to reopen the debate over the Muskegon Farmers Market location.

The issue has been a thorn in city hall's side for years. Whenever there is a proposal for moving the market from its Jackson Hill location, like the most recent one in 2007, it gets shouted down. The question is why? And who's doing the shouting?

Perhaps the 2007 plan by Watermark Center & Lofts to move the market to an adjacent former Shaw-Walker Co. parking lot, between the Watermark development and the city's Hartshorn Marina, wasn't the best one, but there are other locations in the central downtown that would provide better access than the current market provides, without disrupting an entire neighborhood like the current market at the corner of Eastern and Yuba does.

Check Charleston, S.C. It has a covered market downtown that also offers other retail goods. Anchorage, Alaska, has a downtown outdoor market (weather permitting)

It gets people there that would not otherwise go downtown. It adds to
the foot traffic and helps get retailers and restaurants noticed and
activity.

The place (Muskegon Farmers Market is) at now is out of sight and out of mind to the vast majority of even locals, let alone tourists.

It may be hard for market lovers to believe, but not only is the market location "hidden" from many, some of the neighbors are concerned about the heavy Saturday morning traffic driving through their otherwise quiet neighborhood. The speed of some market drivers is not conducive to children and others walking and riding bikes along the same street.

While we're talking relocation, let's talk a more grandiose market, too. Let's talk about a combination indoor and outdoor market that would allow year 'round sales. A market that would somehow connect to the rest of downtown and Muskegon Lake through a type of boardwalk that could also be lined with small temporary booths and more permanent shops as well. A market that could sell produce at the end of the work day during the week so residents could pick up fresh produce for dinner on the way home. Currently, the market closes mid-afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Once another downtown development, the Russell Block incubator on West Western Avenue, gets off the ground this fall, it could catapult its startup businesses to the larger Farmers Market or the boardwalk locations. Other entrepreneurs may be enticed by the new approach and move directly into the relocated Farmers Market.

I think we should have a huge farmers market where not only fruits and veggies are sold but flowers and art and where there are street performers and other artists can work. Look at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. It's on the waterfront. (Our market) would have to be indoor-outdoor for the winter season. I have BIG dreams! I spent a year and a half working at the Pike and it's an amazing market over 100 years old.

portcity posted this comment on mlive.com/muskegon under the Question of the Day post:

Move it downtown. Unless you are a local, the current location
is difficult to get to and has a run down look to it. Holland, Grand
Rapids, Traverse City and other cities similar in size to Muskegon have
their Farmers Market located in the downtown area. A newer market could
be a year round facility that offers produce and perhaps fresh fish in a
partial outdoor-indoor setting similar to what Grand Rapids is
building now. Unfortunately, Greater Muskegon seems to play catch up to
what other cities have in place. If I recall, the facility Grand Rapids
is renovating now,was proposed by Muskegon years ago in one of the old
vacated buildings by Heritage Landing. The vision was there, but citizens
in Greater Muskegon did not support the concept.

Change is hard and moving the Farmers Market will require a lot of review and hard work, not to mention investment.

It already is "downtown" enough. No need to spend more tax dollars on moving it a few blocks!

If we move the market, it has to be bigger, better, more accessible and developed in a way that brings its current success to the central downtown. In recent years, the Farmers Market has expanded its vendors and its offerings, developing a harvest festival and many other events and activities. It also has made itself accessible to those using Bridge Cards so the market's fresh produce is readily available to every Muskegon resident. These programs should continue at the new location.

With the current crunch in government finances, it's unlikely that tax dollars would be available for such a project. But we shouldn't say no to this idea just because we don't like change or we don't have the energy to take on the job. A lot of people are excited about this concept. They should join forces to make it happen.

Their energy could attract the investment -- and support -- needed to make a difference in our community.

This project could also redirect the development of our community to a more successful future that creates jobs, draws more investors, generates visitors and benefits local residents.